New Zealand signed contract with MBDA for Sea Ceptor Air Defence System

New Zealand signed contract with MBDA for Sea Ceptor Air Defence System

Posted On
Tuesday, 27 May 2014 07:00

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Naval Defense Industry News - UK, New Zealand

New
Zealand signed contract with MBDA for Sea Ceptor Air Defence System

The
New Zealand Ministry of Defence signed a contract on 21st May with MBDA
for the provision of Sea Ceptor for the Local Area Air Defence element
of the Royal New Zealand Navy’s ANZAC Frigate Systems Upgrade
(FSU) project. This contract confirms the selection of the system by
the RNZN for its ANZAC frigates that was announced in October 2013.

MBDA Sea
Ceptor Missile in flight
(image: MBDA)

Steve Wadey,
MBDA UK Managing Director and Group Executive Director Technical, said:
“I am delighted that New Zealand has confirmed its selection of
Sea Ceptor for the ANZAC FSU project. This first success in the global
market outside the United Kingdom for Sea Ceptor is due not only to
its advanced operational and through-life cost advantages, but also
to the invaluable support provided by the UK Government and the Royal
Navy during discussions with the New Zealand Ministry of Defence. Cooperation
between the Governments and the Navies of the United Kingdom and New
Zealand will continue to be important to delivering an excellent Sea
Ceptor capability throughout the life of the project.”

HMNZS Te
Mana (F111) is one of ten Anzac class frigates
and one of two serving in the Royal New Zealand Navy.
(picture: Benchill)

The appeal of
Sea Ceptor is creating significant interest in a number of markets
around the world and its versatility makes it the ideal choice for
the ANZAC upgrade. As an active radar system, Sea Ceptor does not
require the dedicated tracker/illuminator radars on which semi-active
systems depend. Sea Ceptor deploys the CAMM (Common Anti-Air Modular
Missile) which, due to its soft launch technology, requires no efflux
management system. This minimizes the system’s mass and footprint
thereby allowing for greater flexibility regarding ship installation
positions. CAMM missile canisters are compatible with a wide range
of vertical launch systems.

CAMM features in a family of next generation, all-weather, air defence
weapon systems with applications for sea and land environments providing
360° air defence coverage against multiple simultaneous targets,
both airborne and surface. This flexibility extends to installation
options, a choice of launchers, including the widely used MK 41, and
system compatibility with a range of sensors. Cost is a major advantage
of CAMM and customers will benefit from a “10 year canister”
solution for maximum ease of inventory service management and minimum
through life costs.